Multiple-expansion steam-engine.



Patented Dec. 23, I902.

J. DENEAL. MULTIPLE EXPANSION STEAM ENGINE.

(Application filed Ear. 9, 1901.1

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No. 716,523. Patanted'llec. 23, 1902'.

J. DENEAL.

MULTIPLE EXPANSION STEAMENGINE. (Application filed Mar. 9, 1901.

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U rrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JACKSON DENEAL, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-FIFTHS TO STEPHEN BROPHY, OF TOLEDO, OHIO.

MULTIPLE-EXPANSION STEAM-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 716,523, dated Dece b 23, 1902.

Application filed March 9, 1901.

T 00% whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, JACKSON DENEAL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Multiple-Expansion Steam-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in multiple-expansion steam-engines. As this class of engines are ordinarily constructed their cylinders are each provided with separate receivers and with inlet and exhaust valves, each having separate operative mechanism, all of which add greatly to the multiplicity of parts, complexity of movement, friction, cost of construction, expense of repair, and the space occupied, by reason whereof engines of the class have not been found economical for general purposes, and more especially for light power or high speed.

The object of my invention is to produce a simple, compact, and effective multiple-expansion engine economical in construction and operation and adapted to a wide range of speed and power, wherein without the use of separate receivers and separate valves and valve-operating mechanism for the expansion-cylinders the steam after being used in one cylinder passes directly into another and is successively reexpanded in a series of cylinders until the expansive force is fully utilized. I accomplish this object by producing an engine having a series of cylinders of progressively-increased diameters, in which, in addition to their ordinaryand usual functions, each cylinder excepting the last is a receiver, its exhaust-ports the inlet-ports, and its piston a cut-off valve for the cylinder next succeeding in the series, and by the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, and illustrated in the drawlugs.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a View in Vertical longitudinal section of an engine constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a view in cross-section of the same, and Fig. 3 is a sectional plan View of the same.

In the drawings, 1 designates a cylindercasting provided with bores of progressivelyincreased diameter to form the piston-valve chamber A, the high-pressure cylinder B, the

Serial No. 50,503. (No model.)

intermediate-pressure cylinder O,and the lowpressure cylinder D. In each of the Walls which separate the different cylinder-bores there are formed steam-ports 2 and 3, leading in opposite directions from outlets 4 and 5, respectively, for each cylinder,located centrally to the length of the cylinders, but separated by diaphragms 6, to the inlets 7 and 8, respectively, located near the heads of the cylinders next following. Lengthwise of cylinder A is a thickened portion 9 of the wall, which centrally to the length of the cylinder is suitably formed for the attachment of a throttlevalve casing 10, having a steam connection 11, and in the thickened wall 9 are also provided ports 2 and 3, leading from outlets 4 and in the throttle-casing 10 to the inlets 7 and 8, respectively, near the heads of cylinder A. Centrally of its length the low-pressure cylinder D is provided with a boss 12, adapted for the attachment of an exhaustpipe 13, and separated by a diaphragm 14 are exhaust-ports 15 and 16, leading from the interior of cylinder D through the boss 12 to the exhaust-pipe.

In each of the cylinders B, O, and D is located a piston 17 ,provided with suitable packing-rings 18. The length of each piston is a little less than one-half the length of its cylinder and its stroke equals. its own length, whereby in the middle of each stroke both the central outlets 4 and 5 are closed, and at the end of each stroke they are alternately opened, while the inlets 7 and 8, near the heads 19, are continually left uncovered. The piston-rods 20 are suitably connected to the pistons and in the embodiment of my invention shown in the drawings are provided with slotted yokes 21 to engage with the crankpins 22. The crank-pins are secured to balanced crank-disks 23, which are mounted upon the crank-shaft 24. The latter is journaled in bearings 25, which are suitably connected to the bed-plate 26 of theengine. The lower ends 27 of the piston-rods are extended to operate as plungers in the pump-barrels 28, which are secured to the bed-plate and pendently supported therefrom in a line with the stroke of the piston-rods and operate as suitable guides for the slotted yoke connections of the piston-rods, thereby obviating the use of pitman connections with the crankshaft. The pump-barrels may be connected in series or in parallel, and when the engine is used for horseless vehicle purposes the pumps may be arranged for the water, air, and liquid-fuel supply for the generator.

Within the cylinder A there is located a piston-valve 30, having piston -rod 31 connected thereto, which is coupled, by means of a pitman 32, to a crank-pin 33, which is secured to a crank-disk 34, mounted upon the end of the crank-shaft. The piston-valve 30 is provided with packingrings 35 and is adapted to close both of the outlets 4 and 5 of cylinder A in the middle of its stroke and to open and close them alternately at the end of its stroke.

36 designates a throttle valve, which is housed within the casing 10 and is provided with ports 37 and 38, adapted to connect with outlets 4 and 5 of the throttle-casing, whereby steam may be admitted into the cylinder A at both ends or at either end thereof by turning the throttle-valve and closing one of the ports 4 or 5 of the throttle-casing by the laps 39 of the valve, which latter are disposed upon each side of the ports 37 and 38. The valve 36 is provided with a stem 40, suitably journaled and packed in the casing 10, and the stem is provided with a lever 41 for operating the valve.

In length the piston-valve 30 is adapted to cover the outlet-ports 4 and 5 of the cylinder A when in the middle of its stroke, and the crank-pin 33 is secured to the disk 34 at a radius adapted to limit the stroke to the length of the valve and at ninety degrees from the crank-pin 22 for the piston of cylinder B. By this arrangement when the piston of cylinder B is at the end of its upper stroke the pistonvalve 30 will be in the center of its stroke in position to close both outlets 4 and 5 of cylinder A, and at the end of its stroke in either direction one end of the valve will be central to the diaphragm separating the outlets 4 and 5. It is also apparent that when the piston crank-pin 22 of cylinder B is slightly past its upper center the piston-valve 30 will begin to open outlet 4 of cylinder A and that it will be fully opened and closed again during the downward stroke of the piston of cylinderB and that in like manner port 5 of cylinder A will be opened and closed during its upward stroke. The crank-pins 22 of the pistons of cylinders B and D are secured to their respective crank-disks 23 at points slightly varying from one hundred and eighty degrees from the crank-pin of cylinder 0 to give the crankpin of cylinder 0 a slight lead over the crankpins of both of cylinders B and D, so as to prevent coincidence of their centers. The ports 2 and 3, the outlets 4 and 5, and inlets 7 and 8 are progressively increased in area from the high-pressure to the low-pressure cylinders in proportion to the cylinders which they supply. Thus constructed it is apparent that the operation of the piston of cylinder B does not differ materially from the ordinary double-acting one-cylinder engine and that it in turn operates as a valve for cylinder 0, opening and closing its inlet-ports alternately, thereby operating the piston of cylinder O as a double-acting engine in reverse stroke with the piston of B, and that the piston of C operates in turn as a valve for cylinder D, alternately opening and closing its inlet-ports, thereby operating its piston in reverse stroke to the piston of cylinder 0 and in substantial unison with the piston of cylinder B. It is also manifest that the engine can be started or reversed either by manipulation of the throttle-valve or by opening both ports of the throttle and turning the fly-Wheel 42 in the desired direction of movement, and by closing either one of the throttle-ports the engine may be operated as a single-acting engine from the ends of the cylinders to which the open port leads. When running as a double-acting engine, it is apparent that the valve-piston of cylinder A is balanced and offers no resistance excepting its friction and that the piston of each cylinder operates as a cut-off valve for the next cylinder in the series, that while there is some back pressure in all of the cylinders excepting cylinder A the reaction from compression is equal to such back pressure, and that there is a con stant overbalance of working pressure equal to the expansive force of the steam. By attaching a condenser to the exhaust an equal percentage of the steam-pressure below atmospheric pressure is utilized, as in other engines of the kind, while all the receivers, valves,

eccentrics, and reversing mechanism ordinarily employed for operating the expansioncylinders are entirely eliminated by my construction, and by utilizing the cylinders as receivers and adapting their pistons to operate as valves as well as perform their ordinary functions I have produced a simple and compact engine of the kind, economical in construction and operation, adapted to all speeds and powers, and more especially have made it possible to economically employ the principle of multiple expansion for light power and high speed. By making the piston of cylinder A of the same length as the pistons of the other cylinders and the radius of its crank the same as the other piston-cranks it will operate as a cut-off valve for cylinder B and the piston of B will for a portion of its stroke travel on the expansion of the steam, and in proportion as the radius of the crank and the length of the valve-piston is reduced the cut-off will be increased until cylinder B can be made to operate substantially on live steam throughout its stroke. For medium pressures a series comprising a high, intermediate, and low pressure cylinder is sufficient to expand the steam to atmospheric pressure; but for extreme high pressures and high speed a shorter stroke and an increased number of cylinders may be economically employed. The number of cylinders in the series may also be reduced without departing from the principle of my construction. By leaving off the low-pressure cylinder D, adapting 0 as a lowpressure cylinder, and adjusting the length and stroke of the piston of valve-cylinder A so as to shorten the cut-off of cylinder B, as hereinbefore described, such definite part of the expansion of the steam may be utilized in the latter cylinder, as that cylinder 0 will complete its expansion to atmospheric pressure or below it if a condenser is used.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I cairn to be new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a double-acting multiple-expansion engine, the combination of a series of cylinders of progressively-increased diameters respectively, connected together side by side in the order of their progression, with their axes in the same plane, comprising a valve-cylinder, a high-pressure cylinder, and one or more expansion-cylinders, a'pair of ports in each of the division-Walls between the cylinders, leading from centrally-located openings in the smaller cylinder, in opposite directions, to openings in the larger cylinder, adjacent to its heads, that are exhanstports for the smaller cylinder and inlet-ports for the larger, exhaust-ports in the low-pressure cylinder, located centrally of its length and opening into an exhaust, a steam connection for the valve-cylinder, provided with a pair of branch connections opening into opposite ends of the valve-cylinder, a piston in each cylinder, adapted as a valve to close the exhaust-ports of its cylinder in the middle of dred and eighty degrees from each other, and a manual valve in the steam connection,adapted to progressively open or close either or both the branch connections to the valve-cylinder separately or simultaneously, substantially as shown and described.

2. Ina double-acting engine, the combination with a pressu re-cylinder provided with a pair of exhaust-ports located centrally 0t its length, and with a piston adapted to close the exhaust-ports during the middle of its stroke and open them alternately at the end of each stroke, of a valve-cylinder connected side by side with the pressure-cylinder, with the axes of the cylinders in the same plane, a pair of ports in the division-wall between the two cylinders,leading respectively from centrallylocated openings in the valve-cylinder in 0pposite directions to openings in the pressurecylinder, adjacent to its heads, that are exhaust-ports for the valve-cylinder and inletports for the pressure-cylinder, a piston for the valve-cylinder, adapted to close its outletports in the middle of its stroke and open them alternately at the end of each stroke, the pistons of both cylinders being connected to cranks of a common shaft set at ninety degrees apart, a steam connection for the valvecylinder, a valve-chamber in the steam conhand this 25th day of February, A. D. 1901.

JACKSON DENEAL.

Witnesses:

F. S. MACOMBER, GEO. A. WHITNEY, Jr. 

